Carnival of Space #129
The Carnival of Space is back with its 129th installment. This week it is hosted by Tiny Mantras.Contributing bloggers this week include:Chandra X-Ray Observatory blog Dynamics of CatsMSNBC's Cosmic LogThe Planetary Society BlogMang's Bat Page One Astronomer's NoiseThe

Tom Boles- Supernova Supersleuth
In August 2009, British amateur astronomer, Tom Boles broke Professor Fritz Zwicky’s 36-year-old record for the number of supernovae discovered by an individual when he bagged his 124th supernova. The fact Tom has been so prolific, observing from the cloudy, rainy United Kingdom makes this record even more remarkable. Tom has graciously agreed to give us a look inside the process,

Twinkle, Twinkle, Quasi-Star
 "Twinkle, twinkle quasi-starBiggest puzzle from afarHow unlike the other onesBrighter than a billion sunsTwinkle, twinkle, quasi-starHow I wonder what you are."George Gamow, "Quasar" 1964.The AAVSO recently announced a special observing campaign on the several blazars, including the unusual variable object 3C 66A. So, what the devil is 3C 66A, and what is a blazar?In the 1960’s advances in radio and x-ray astronomy opened our eyes to new classes of o

The Sky Is Falling, the Sky Is Falling!
Meteor watching doesn’t require any special equipment at all, but is best enjoyed when the moon is out of the way. Fortunately, this year’s Leonid meteor shower peaks November 17, right around New Moon. If the sky is clear, you could be in for a treat.Leonid meteors start out as specks of dust and debris ejected by Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 33 years. Over time, these particles spread out along

The Z CamPaign
IntroductionUGZs are defined in the General Catalog of Variable Stars as dwarf novae that “show cyclic outbursts, differing from UGSS variables by the fact that sometimes after an outburst they do not return to the original brightness, but during several cycles retain a magnitude between maximum and minimum. The values of cycles are from 10 to 40 days, while light amplitudes are from 2 to 5 magnitudes in V.” So it’s all about the standstills, those episodes where the star gets stuck at a mid-point between maximum and minimum. If it doesn’t exhibit standstills it isn’t a Z Cam star.